The Show Must Go On
by Kitsune no Miko
Summary: A reflective Tomo songfic to "The Show Must Go On" by Queen - C&C, onegai? It's not the usual spin on the character of Tomo ^_^


The Show Must Go On ~ Tomo songfic
    
    "The Show Must Go On"
    
    _~a Tomo songfic~_
    
    Right.... *coughs* This idea came to me, it's one of those fics that demands to be written regardless of
    
    how it sounds. The song "The Show Must Go On" is by Queen, FY and all related characters by Watase Yuu. No spoilers, mostly implied, but if you know who Tomo is you'll be all right. C&C encouraged, of course. Especially with this one.
    
    ~Jasmine-chan  
    
     
    
     
    
     
    
     
    
     

_Empty spaces, what are we waiting for?_

_Abandoned places, I guess we know the score._

_On and on,_

_Does anybody know what we are looking for?_
    
     
    
    Tomo sat in front of the mirror. The routine
    
    wasn't new, he had been doing it ever since he
    
    remembered. The daily morning ritual of putting on the
    
    makeup, adjusting his hair, making sure he appeared as
    
    the loyal, imposing general every single day. Making
    
    sure he looked confident, strong.
    
    He stared at the mirror today, though. The face
    
    reflected in the glass was unfamiliar - the eyes amber
    
    that held warmth trapped in their depths, the face
    
    uncertain and trembling. He didn't even know his own
    
    face.
    
    Only the false face.
    
     
    
    _Another hero, another mindless crime, Behind the_
    
    _curtain in_
    
    _the pantomime._
    
    _Hold the line -_
    
    _Does anybody want to take it anymore?_
    
     
    
    His fingers shaking, he somehow managed to put the
    
    makeup on. And with it, he masked the uncertainty, the
    
    fear.
    
    The boy Chuin was dead. The Seiryuu
    
    shichiseishi Tomo lived in his place now. The
    
    confident one, loyal to the Kutou shogun, who was also
    
    the Seiryuu seishi Nakago.
    
     
    
    _The show must go on._
    
    _The show must go on._
    
    _Inside my heart is breaking,_
    
    _My make-up may be flaking,_
    
    _But my smile still stays on._
    
     
    
    Nakago had power. Something he, Tomo, lacked. To
    
    control a whole country, second only to the Kutou
    
    emperor (in name, Tomo reminded himself, as Nakago was
    
    a man of ambition) - the only time he experienced that
    
    thrilling power was through his illusions. Using his
    
    illusions, HE controlled the situation.
    
     
    
     
    
    _Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance._
    
    _Another heartache, another failed romance._
    
    _On and on,_
    
    _Does anybody know what we are living for?_
    
    _I guess I'm learning-_
    
    _I must be warmer now,_
    
    _I'll soon be turning 'round the corner now._
    
    _Outside the dawn is breaking,_
    
    _But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free._
    
     
    
    Such irony. Now he was in control, different from
    
    Chuin. Chuin was gone. Gone because he was weak,
    
    clinging to fairy tales and old opera stories that
    
    were all lies.
    
    Tomo finished getting ready and wandered down
    
    the halls of the Kutou palace. A flash of gold hair,
    
    and his eyes were drawn to the imposing shogun already
    
    farther past him.
    
    He tried, tried so hard to impress the
    
    shogun...
    
    But he heard Nakago's voice in his mind's ear,
    
    the implied threat the shogun could carry out without
    
    a second thought.
    
    "You are useful now, but when you aren't any
    
    longer..."
    
     
    
    _The show must go on._
    
    _The show must go on, yeah._
    
    _Oooh, inside my heart is breaking,_
    
    _My make-up may be flaking,_
    
    _But my smile still stays on._
    
    _Yeah, oh, oh, oh._
    
     
    
    Nakago saw him only as a tool. A tool for his own
    
    ambitions, which nobody except Nakago knew.
    
    A remnant of the boy Chuin trembled behind the
    
    makeup.
    
     
    
    _My soul is painted like the wings of butterflies._
    
    _Fairy tales of yesterday will grow but never die._
    
    _I can fly, my friends._
    
     
    
    Scattered memories of the opera. Of tales sung and
    
    danced, tales with happy endings, tales with romance
    
    and heroes and daring. And of his younger self, silver
    
    hair dancing with him as Chuin danced the parts
    
    joyfully.
    
    He had so loved the opera. But that was before~
    
     
    
    _The show must go on, yeah._
    
    _The show must go on._
    
    _I'll face it with a grin,_
    
    _I'm never giving in,_
    
    _On with the show._
    
     
    
    Resolution budded in Tomo's mind. Perhaps the mask
    
    he hid behind was worthless now. Nakago was going to
    
    use them all, that was certain. Before, though, he had
    
    focused on the horrible experience of the opera, not
    
    the warmth and the joy of it. Not the singing and
    
    dancing he had enjoyed so much, not the illusion of
    
    the opera. The first illusion he created.
    
     
    
    _I'll top the bill,_
    
    _I'll overkill._
    
    _I have to find the will to carry on._
    
    _On with the-_
    
    _On with the show._
    
     
    
    And in that illusion, there was life.
    
     
    
    _The show must go on._


End file.
